No. 174: Of Lesko and the Cullens and a librarian you just can’t help but love

NYIT's Danielle Apfelbaum: Very few say "ssshhh" as well as she does.

December 2, 2016

TG it’s F: A great end to the week everybody. Hope it’s been a good one. It’s Dec. 2, meaning you’ve already had to duck at least eight days of radio Christmas caroling.

One of the most-overplayed is the Gene Autry cover of “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” It was released during Christmas week in 1949 and topped the charts on Jan. 7, making it – great bit of trivia – the first No. 1 hit of the 1950s.

The real deal: Hofstra’s Mark Lesko, executive dean of the Center for Entrepreneurship and head of the university’s business and real estate centers, has been added to the executive board of the Long Island Real Estate Group, the 400-member philanthropic and networking organization.

Top shelf: Danielle Apfelbaum, a librarian on NYIT’s Old Westbury campus, has been named one of 10 winners of the American Library Association’s annual I Love My Librarian award.

Patience still required: The latest progress report from Start-Up NY shows the program is losing participants almost as quickly as it’s adding them, according to an Empire Center report.

Draft proposal: The state filed requisite documents and a deposit to take partin the Dec. 15 federal auction of offshore territory for a wind farm.

Granted: Feinstein Institute researchers Peter Davies and Jeremy L. Koppel have been awarded a five-year, $500,000 grant from the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America to explore psychosis and aggression in individuals living with the disease. One of the largest AFA grants ever awarded.

Well done: Northwell has inked a research partnership with the Siemens health arm focused on clinical effectiveness and outcomes.

Speaking of Northwell: The health chain’s insurance program, CareConnect, had a good nine months, including an operating margin of $84.1 million, or 1.2 percent.

By the numbers: Stony Brook University faculty are the mentors of two high school student teams in next week’s Siemens Competition finals. SBU-mentored teams have won the $100,000 grand prize three times – 2001, ’07 and ’09 – and have mentored a total of 441 Siemens semifinalists.

Paying forward: A King Kullen family foundation has donated $100,000 to one of its favorite charities, Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York, which finds adoptive and foster homes for children on Long Island and in NYC. The fund has donated more than $3 million to Little Flower over 30+ years.

About our sponsor: SUNY Old Westbury is a selective public liberal arts college serving more than 4,300 students from Long Island, New York City and around the world. With graduate programs in business, education, mental health counseling and more, Old Westbury offers cutting edge instruction and convenient scheduling, all at the affordable rate of SUNY tuition. Own your future.

Working ahead: The Thriving in the 21st Century Meetup founded by Hofstra’s Debbi Honorof, now with 400 members, turns one year old this month. There is, obviously, a birthday celebration and panel event planned. Dec. 7, 6 to 8 p.m., LaunchPad Huntington. Details here.

Share me: Love all the fast news and inside poop, the matchless raillery and repartee, the sidelong glances and droll wit? Forward this newsletter to a friend or encourage them to sign up here.

Talk to me: Amazon has started an accelerator program for startups working on conversational AI.

Making its quota: QStream, an app that trains sales reps using Harvard research on learning and retention, has closed on a $15 million B round.

ICYMI: The latest edition of NASA’s Orbital Debris Quarterly News is hot off the presses here.

Changing core values: Apple is planning radical design changes to the iPhone for next year, including an all-glass body and wireless charging.

Attention Mr. President-Elect: Getting everyone to sleep seven hours a night could add $225 billion to the U.S. economy.

Still Dolan owned: Madison Square Garden is looking for a slew of tech folk.

BELOW THE FOLD

Charged up: A San Diego couple has been convicted of conspiring to sell millions of bottles of fake 5-Hour Energy drink.

Twitter feed: Coffee, beer and pizza were the top three comestibles tweeted about during the last two years, according to research by the University of Utah. (IPA was fifth, so two Top 10 finishes for brews.)

History, by George: The White House Historical Association has a new appcalled 1600 that’s triggered by pointing your device at Washington on a $1 bill.

A reminder: There’s really no such thing as “free” news. Please support great institutions like SUNY Old Westbury.